Contemporary Jazz

05 JAN 09 JONATHAN WIDRAN

Perhaps more than any other genre, jazz is the one form of music that defies easy definition and categorization on close examination. Truth be told, there are as many different kinds of jazz as there are sets of ears to hear it and interpret it. Contemporary jazz artists experiment, such as Kenny G's Latin romp "Sax-o-Loco," and blend, as on the Grammy-winning George Benson & Al Jarreau track "God Bless The Child." The result is a segment of the jazz landscape that grafts elements of just about any other branch of popular music to the basic foundations of the jazz tradition: melodic, rhythmic and harmonic exploration. Below are a few choice tracks from the vast Concord Music Group catalog that span the breadth of the genre.